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Malthis Baleros
Description Malthis Baleros is, for the most part, a fairly standard-looking human male. Two arms, two legs, one head. He stands just shy of six feet, with a medium, fit build without seeming overly muscular. Much of his face is obscured by a simple sash tied tightly around his head, covering his eyes with a thick band of dark red fabric, contrasting against his pale skin and dark hair; the tail of the sash trails behind his head a few inches, resting against the back of his neck just above his shoulders. What of his face which remains exposed reveals a softly-angled nose, and a little bit of dark stubble on his lower face and chin. His hair is cut short enough to stay out of his face, but long enough to allow some movement and styling. His clothing is simplistic, consisting of a pair of black trousers, simple shoes, and a loosely-fitted shirt and cloth jacket over his upper torso. His right hand is an obvious cybernetic prosthetic, made of brushed black steel. He carries himself with an easy gait, but for obvious reasons doesn't move his head around much, having no need to focus his vision. He does not, however, seem uncertain or particularly cautious in his movements; it's almost as if he can see just fine, despite his eyes being thoroughly shielded. Background The story of Malthis Beleros begins with that of his maternal grandfather, the Jedi Knight Kelleris Daschel. Daschel was born 67 years prior to the Battle of Yavin, and was a distinguished and experienced Jedi Knight by the time the Clone Wars began in 22BBY. A Miraluka, he had travelled from his homeworld of Alpheridies as a youth to seek training in the Jedi Order, and been accepted as an apprentice despite his age. He progressed quickly thanks to his natural ability, and attained the rank of Knight by the age of 24. During his time as a young Knight, the Miraluka met and had a brief relationship with another of his race, a woman named Larasa, with whom he fathered a child, a daughter. Though he tried to reconcile his actions and responsibilities, in the end Daschel chose his responsibility to the Jedi. He provided what he could for the girl and the child, but felt it best she grow up without contact with her. Larasa and the girl returned to Alpheridies, where they would live much of their lives in peace. When the Clone Wars began, Daschel refused the rank of General in the Grand Army of the Republic, choosing instead to lead a small squad of soldiers rather than clone troopers, each hand-picked by the Jedi. He led his squad in primarily intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance missions, rather than front-line combat, though even this role was not without its share of fighting. Throughout the conflict, Daschel and his group brought valuable information to the Republic, doubtless saving many lives and leading to many Republic victories in the war. Near the end of the war, when Order 66 was enacted, Daschel was lucky to be surrounded by his own men and women rather than clone troopers, escaped the betrayal that befell so many of his comrades. He attempted to return to Coruscant to regroup with the order, but heard the warning beacon, and instead regrouped with his own forces on a backwater world in the mid-rim. There, the group decided on a course of action; they would all go their separate ways, but to regroup again to assist the Jedi when the time came. From there, Daschel returned to Alpheridies to seek out his former lover and their child. When he did, he found the girl almost grown, with no need of a father. Larasa had grown bitter, having been made to raise the girl on her own. Nonetheless, Daschel remained near, attempting to make amends to her and his daughter, while remaining in hiding from Imperial forces. It was not long before the Alpheridies system was blockaded by the Empire, however, while they sought to not only find any surviving Jedi, but keep the Firce-sensitive population of Miraluka under control. Daschel insisted that Lasara and their daughter flee the system, but Larasa refused, feeling it safer to comply with the Imperial occupation. Daschel disagreed, but obeyed her wishes. For his part, he could not remain on Alpheridies and risk capture; he fought the Imperial forces that discovered him, and escaped the system. He eventually connected with the Rebellion, and brought the surviving members of his squad into their fold, using his skills and talents to assist the Rebels in any way he could. Larasa and her daughter remained on Alpheridies, living under Imperial rule. They could not leave the planet, and any Miralukans who displayed any more than the basic connection to the Force to which all of their kind were heir were taken back to Imperial Centre, no doubt to be tortured and turned, or killed. The daughter, Vella, was in her late teens already, an independent woman in her own right. She eventually, much against her mother's wishes, taken a position working with the Imperial Occupation forces in an administrative capacity. It was an opportunity that afforded her a little more freedom than the other Miralukans, though it meant she was under a closer watch. She eventually met and fell in love with an Imperial officer with whom she had worked, and the two were married, a decision which her mother never forgave her for. The officer, Markus Baleros, was soon after transferred back to the Brentaal, in the Core Worlds. Vella accompanied her husband, but being a non-human in the humanocentric Empire meant her rights and freedoms were severely limited. She hid her nature as much as she could, living as a relative recluse. When she was forced to appear in public Vella portrayed herself as a blind woman, concealing her lack of eyes with dark glasses, and putting on the act that she simply could not see. Over time, Markus grew distant, realizing how his having an alien wife was affecting his status in the Empire. Two years before the Battle of Yavin, as a last-ditch attempt to rekindle her husband's affection, Vella became pregnant, and bore a son, Malthis. Half human and half Miralukan, the boy was born with human eyes, though their function was severely limited. His mother taught him to see using the Force, as she had learned as a child, as all Miralukans. Markus was furious when he learned this, wishing to have no part in raising a child so clearly not human. He immediately sent Vella and Malthis away, evicting them from their home. Mother and son fled to the slums of Cormond, Brentaal's largest city where they had lived, and eked out an existence there. Malthis was a talented, intelligent child, who showed a strong gift in his connection with the Force. In this, he and his mother were fortunate to live so far removed from Imperial attention. He grew up knowing of his heritage on both sides of his family, but chose to embrace the Miralukan side over the human. Though he could see through his eyes, if only very poorly, he eventually chose to rely on his Force-based vision instead. He grew up hearing the stories his grandfather had passed down to his daughter, and longed for the day that he could follow in his grandfathers steps as a Jedi. When Mathis was six years old, the Empire suffered its greatest defeat at the Battle of Endor, and with the loss of both the Empereor and Darth Vader, the Empire was all but defeated. It was not long before the Rebellion established itself as the New Republic, and swept through the Imperial-held Core Worlds, freeing them from Imperial rule. Vella revealed herself to the Republic forces, hoping that she and her son could be repatriated to Alpheridies, but at the time the Republic had other priorities. She explained that her son should be taken for Jedi training, since they couldn't return to their homeworld, but the even though the Empire had been defeated, there was still no Jedi Order to speak of. Life improved, but it remained a struggle. Bitter at the Republic for abandoning her and her child, Vella put the idea of escape, her wish to return to Alpheridies, out of her mind for years. How he found them remains a mystery, but eventually, when Malthis was nearly ten years old, a member of Vella's fathers former team found the woman and her son, with an offer to take them both back to their home. Daschel had died years before, fighting for the Rebellion, but had left instructions that if the Rebellion ever triumphed, to find his daughter and make sure she was safe. The man had been searching ever since, having made a final solemn vow to his Master as Daschel lay dying. He returned Vella to Alpheridies, and promised the woman that she would see her son delivered safely to Coruscant, to be presented to the new Jedi Order for training. When he arrived on Coruscant, Malthis was tested and inducted as an initiate. His age was not as much an issue as it may have been in the old Order, but he was nonetheless older than the average initiate. He progressed through the initial training swiftly, owing to natural gifts, and those bestowed by virtue of his heritage. When he had mastered the skills necessary, he was made an apprentice to one of the Order's newly made Knights, a human man named Lewwen Gileah. It was not the Jedi Order of the old Republic; Gileah was as experienced as any in the new Order, but he was nonetheless still relatively new to the ways of the Force. He had fought with the Rebellion, and been chosen for training by Master Skywalker. So early in the days of the new Order, Knights were made quickly out of necessity. Gileah was a good Master to Malthis, even though his knowledge and understanding of the Force was not as sophisticated as it would have been, had he been trained in the days of the old Order. Malthis had a deeper understanding of the Force than most, given his natural talent and connection to it; indeed, as a Miralukan, Malthis had learned to feel the Force in all things, whereas others simply used it as a means to an end. Over the years, Malthis had learned much, not only as a Jedi in the new Order, but as a man. In many ways, Gileah had taken on the role of the father that the boy had never really had; he admired the man, looked up to and tried to emulate him as best he could. The two shared many experiences together, as they travelled the Galaxy on the business of the Jedi Order; their missions ranged from diplomacy to rescue operations, and though they saw their share of combat throughout the years, it was always accepted as a last resort. Malthis had grown adept with a lightsaber, even surpassing the skills of his Master, but was always reluctant to resort to its use outside of training. He shared the common Miralukan traits of cautiousness and deliberativeness, always preferring to think on a thing before acting. He chose his battles carefully, often proving himself the voice of reason and patience over that of his Master, who had lived a life of combat himself. Malthis proved a capable pilot as well, and found a great deal of personal satisfaction in the activity. At the age of 18, Malthis watched several of his peers, apprentices his own age, take on their trials of Knighthood, and advance to the rank of Jedi Knight. Though he understood that he came late to the Order, it was a matter of frustration to see those he felt he should have 'graduated' alongside, surpass him. Though he'd seen more of life than many of them, it was a mastery of the Force that determined when an Apprentice was prepared to move forward, rather than experience. He allowed his frustration to get the better of him, and In a vain effort to prove himself capable, Malthis ventured to the Hutt-controlled world of Affavan, where had heard word of a Hutt crime-lord who had recently captured the survivors of a derelict transport, and taken them all as slaves. Surely, if he bravely rescued the wrongly-taken slaves, the Order would take that into account and grant him advancement to Knighthood. The mission began with promise. He infiltrated the Hutt's stronghold without incident, managing to subdue what few guards he came across without killing them. His Master would have been proud, no doubt. Malthis made his way through the complex to the holding cells, where the slaves were being held while they were put through the necessary conditioning - or torture, as it's more commonly called - to make them more pliant. He was able to find the prisoners and free them, after destroying several droids, but from there, he found himself with no escape plan. Alarms had been raised, and the Hutt's forces were quickly enroute to intervene in the Jedi Apprentice's ill-conceived plan. It was not long before he and the slaves were surrounded, without hope of escape. The slaves were returned to their pens, and Malthis was imprisoned separately. He was held for several days, given little food or water, but otherwise left alone. He was made to listen to the screams of the slaves being tortured, but no-one, droid or otherwise, came to give him the same treatment. He was eventually brought before the Hutt to answer for his crime. When he arrived in the Hutt's audience chamber, Malthis' Master was there as well. He had negotiated for his Apprentice's release, along with the captured slaves. With his tail between his legs, Malthis returned with his Master to Coruscant. He spent the next few weeks doing penance for his mistake, meditating and clearing his head. He eventually came to terms with what he had done, took it as a lesson, as his Master had advised him, and moved on. It was proof that, despite his being older than many who took the Trials and advanced, he still had much to learn. He rejoined his Master, and the two carried on in their assignments from the Order as if nothing had happened. It was by no means uncommon, in the old Order or the new, for an Apprentice to lose his head and go off half-cocked. How the Apprentice recovered from the experience was the important thing, and Malthis had done so admirably. Still an Apprentice, but learning quickly what it takes to prepare for a position as a full Knight, Malthis Baleros remains under the guidance of his Master, and both have recently returned to Coruscant for their next assignment. IC Info Coming soon OOC Info Associated NPCs: Logs Category:Characters